Linking Words & Discourse Markers – English Grammar Exercises for B2
An academic student and avid reader is writing the concluding paragraphs for various book reviews and analytical reports.
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence from the book reviews and reports.
1 “______, this novel is an absolute masterpiece of modern science fiction and I highly recommend it to everyone.”
(A) In all all
(B) All in one
(C) All in all
(D) All of all
2 “______ speaking, the author succeeds in delivering a compelling historical narrative, despite some minor pacing issues in the middle chapters.”
(A) Broad
(B) Broadly
(C) Speaking broadly
(D) In broad
3 “To ______ up, the protagonist’s complex psychological development makes this dense book completely worth the challenging read.”
(A) summary
(B) sum
(C) summarize it
(D) summing
4 “______, I would argue that this biography is an essential addition to any history enthusiast’s personal library.”
(A) In conclusion
(B) In concluding
(C) As a conclusion
(D) To conclusion
5 “______ the whole, the narrative structure holds up incredibly well, even if the ending feels slightly rushed.”
(A) At
(B) In
(C) By
(D) On
6 “By and ______, this financial guide provides solid, practical advice for young investors trying to navigate the modern market.”
(A) big
(B) broad
(C) large
(D) wide
7 “______, the hero’s tragic journey teaches us that human resilience is far more important than raw talent.”
(A) Ultimate
(B) Ultimately
(C) In ultimate
(D) Ultimately speaking
8 “______ short, if you enjoy thrilling murder mysteries with unpredictable plot twists, you simply must buy this book.”
(A) On
(B) Shortly
(C) In
(D) For
9 “To put it ______, the author’s highly anticipated debut novel is a massive, undeniable success.”
(A) brief
(B) briefly
(C) in brief
(D) into brief
10 “______, the scientific report demonstrates a clear, urgent need for massive investments in renewable energy.”
(A) As summary
(B) In summarize
(C) Into summary
(D) In summary
11 “Taking everything into ______, the pros of implementing this new business model far outweigh the potential cons.”
(A) account
(B) mind
(C) thought
(D) accounting
12 “______, the core message of the story is that genuine human connection conquers all forms of adversity.”
(A) In the end of the day
(B) At the end of the day
(C) By the end of the day
(D) To the end of the day
13 “______ balance, the extensive, ground-breaking research presented in this textbook easily makes up for its somewhat dry tone.”
(A) On
(B) In
(C) With
(D) At
14 “______, the novel serves as a powerful, haunting reminder of the extreme fragility of modern democracy.”
(A) All things considered
(B) Considering all things
(C) With all considered
(D) All things considering
15 “______, it is a brilliantly written, engaging thriller that will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat.”
(A) Overally
(B) In overall
(C) Overall
(D) Above all
16 “______ a nutshell, the author controversially argues that modern dietary guidelines are fundamentally flawed.”
(A) On
(B) Into
(C) Inside
(D) In
17 “To ______, the writer masterfully blends dark comedy with heartbreaking tragedy to create a truly unique reading experience.”
(A) summarize
(B) summary
(C) summarizing
(D) in summarize
18 “______ the final analysis, the detective’s massive sacrifice was completely in vain, leaving the reader with a sense of profound emptiness.”
(A) On
(B) In
(C) At
(D) By
19 “To ______, I strongly suggest reading the previous two books in the fantasy series first to fully grasp the world-building.”
(A) concluding
(B) conclude
(C) in conclude
(D) conclusion
20 “______, this is not merely a story about a shipwreck; it is a profound, philosophical exploration of human survival and morality.”
(A) Fundamentally speaking
(B) In fundamental
(C) Fundamentally
(D) Fundamental
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) All in all
- Why it is correct: “All in all” is a classic, highly natural idiom used to introduce a final summary or overall judgment after considering all parts of something.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Non-existent idiom. (B) Meaning Trap: “All in one” refers to combining multiple functions into a single device (like a printer/scanner). (D) Structural Error: Not a valid English phrase.
2 (B) Broadly
- Why it is correct: Completes the discourse marker “Broadly speaking,” which means “generally” or “without focusing on minor details.” It perfectly sets up the conclusion that the book is good despite minor flaws.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Must use the adverb “broadly” to modify “speaking.” (C) Structural Error: Word order is incorrect for this specific idiom. (D) Structural Error: Invalid phrasing.
3 (B) sum
- Why it is correct: “To sum up” is the standard infinitive phrase used to introduce a summary.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: “Summary” is a noun. You cannot say “To summary up.” (C) Structural Error: Unnecessary pronoun “it.” (D) Structural Error: The infinitive marker “To” requires the base verb “sum”, not the gerund “summing”.
4 (A) In conclusion
- Why it is correct: The most standard, formal transition phrase to signal the final paragraph of an essay, review, or report.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: Grammatically invalid. (C) Common Mistake: Direct translation error; the fixed English idiom uses “In,” not “As a.” (D) Structural Error: Missing the preposition “In.”
5 (D) On
- Why it is correct: “On the whole” is a fixed phrase meaning “generally” or “considering everything.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) are all incorrect prepositions for this specific idiom. Many learners mistakenly use “In the whole.”
6 (C) large
- Why it is correct: “By and large” is an advanced (B2/C1) fixed idiom meaning “on the whole” or “everything considered.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) are structural errors because the idiom is strictly fixed as “By and large.”
7 (B) Ultimately
- Why it is correct: “Ultimately” is an adverb used to highlight the most important, fundamental fact or the final result of a complex situation (the core takeaway of the hero’s journey).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Requires the “-ly” adverbial suffix to modify the entire sentence. (C) Structural Error: Invalid phrasing. (D) Common Mistake: Redundant and unnatural phrasing.
8 (C) In
- Why it is correct: “In short” is a concise marker used to provide the final, brief verdict or recommendation.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Incorrect preposition. (B) Meaning Trap: “Shortly” means “soon” (e.g., I will arrive shortly), it does not mean “in summary.” (D) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition.
9 (B) briefly
- Why it is correct: “To put it briefly” means to express the final thought in a few words. “Briefly” is the adverb modifying the verb “put.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Needs the adverb “-ly”. (C) Structural Error: Cannot say “put it in brief” in this context. (D) Structural Error: Invalid idiom.
10 (D) In summary
- Why it is correct: A highly formal marker, equivalent to “In conclusion,” used frequently in academic and scientific reports.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: Missing the article, but even “As a summary” is less standard than “In summary.” (B) Structural Error: “Summarize” is a verb, but “In” requires a noun (“summary”). (C) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition.
11 (A) account
- Why it is correct: “Taking everything into account” is a formal phrase meaning to consider all facts before making a final judgment. (“Taking everything into consideration” is also correct, but “consideration” was not an option).
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Meaning Trap: We “keep” things in mind, we don’t “take them into mind.” (C) Structural Error: Incorrect idiom. (D) Meaning Trap: “Accounting” relates to finance, not the mental process of weighing facts.
12 (B) At the end of the day
- Why it is correct: A very common, slightly conversational B2 idiom used to introduce the ultimate, most important truth after discussing various complex details.
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “In the end” means eventually, but the full idiom requires “At”. (C) Meaning Trap: Refers to a specific time (e.g., Finish the report by the end of the day), not a philosophical conclusion. (D) Structural Error: Incorrect preposition.
13 (A) On
- Why it is correct: “On balance” is a sophisticated B2/C1 phrase meaning “after considering all the different facts or opinions.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B), (C), and (D) are all incorrect prepositions. “In balance” refers to physical equilibrium, not evaluating arguments.
14 (A) All things considered
- Why it is correct: A participial phrase used to show that you have thought about every aspect of a situation before giving your final opinion.
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: While understandable, the fixed idiom places the noun first. (C) Structural Error: Unnecessary preposition. (D) Structural Error: Uses the wrong participle form (should be passive “considered”, not active “considering”).
15 (C) Overall
- Why it is correct: The most direct, versatile adverb to summarize a situation, meaning “taken as a whole.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Overall” is already an adverb; adding “-ly” is a frequent and incorrect learner error. (B) Structural Error: Unnecessary preposition. (D) Meaning Trap: “Above all” means “most importantly,” which doesn’t fit the context of providing a generalized summary.
16 (D) In
- Why it is correct: “In a nutshell” is a classic idiom meaning “expressed very briefly and clearly.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) feature incorrect prepositions. The idiom is strictly “In a nutshell.”
17 (A) summarize
- Why it is correct: Follows the infinitive marker “To” with the base verb “summarize.”
- Distractor Analysis: (B) Structural Error: “Summary” is a noun. (C) Structural Error: Gerund used instead of the base verb. (D) Structural Error: Grammatically invalid combination.
18 (B) In
- Why it is correct: “In the final analysis” is a formal phrase meaning “when everything has been considered.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) are incorrect prepositions for this specific academic idiom.
19 (B) conclude
- Why it is correct: The infinitive marker “To” must be followed by the base verb “conclude.”
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Structural Error: Gerund form. (C) Structural Error: “In” must be followed by the noun “conclusion”. (D) Structural Error: “To” requires the verb “conclude”.
20 (C) Fundamentally
- Why it is correct: Used to identify the core, base nature of the book, stripping away the surface-level plot (the shipwreck) to reveal the main takeaway (human survival).
- Distractor Analysis: (A) Common Mistake: “Speaking” is unnecessary and makes it clunky here. (B) Structural Error: Adjectives cannot follow “In” this way. (D) Structural Error: Must use the adverbial “-ly” form to modify the entire sentence.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When writing the final paragraph of an essay, review, or business report, you need to signal to the reader that the “Takeaway” (the core message) is arriving. Master these categories:
- The “Weighing the Pros and Cons” Markers:
- All in all, / On the whole, / On balance, / By and large, / All things considered,
- Function: Use these when the book/topic had some bad points, but you are deciding that the good points outweigh the bad.
- Example: “The pacing was slow, but on balance, it is a fantastic book.”
- The “Short & Sweet” Markers:
- In short, / In a nutshell, / To put it briefly,
- Function: Use these when you are condensing a massive amount of information into one easy-to-read sentence. Highly engaging for reviews.
- The Formal Academic Markers:
- In conclusion, / To summarize, / In summary, / In the final analysis,
- Function: Use these for strict academic essays or corporate reports.
- Grammar Trap: Never say “To summary” (Summary is a noun). Always use “To summarize” (verb) or “In summary” (noun).
- The “Core Truth” Markers:
- Ultimately, / Fundamentally, / At the end of the day,
- Function: Use these to reveal the deepest philosophical meaning or the absolute bottom-line truth of the review.